My worst so far was winning a TASCAM 22-2 a couple years ago.
I gave the seller general and detailed instructions on how the unit must be packaged.
I asked him to take the feet off the bottom and put them in a plastic sandwich bag or something, because they often break in shipping.
I specifically asked that the unit be shipped on its back with several inches of padding below it and on all sides. He was also told to stamp or write "THIS SIDE UP" and FRAGILE on the top of the box.
Eh... so here's what I got. A thin, loose box with a little Styrofoam on the sides, but the machine bounced and slid from one side of the box to the other.
And here’s the worst:
HE PLACED THE FRONT OF THE UNIT FACE DOWN INSTEAD OF UP LIKE I HAD ASKED. IF THAT WASN'T ENOUGH HE FAILED TO PLACE ANY PADDING ON THE BOTTOM OF THE BOX, SO THE Sensitive HEADS, ARMS, ROLLERS, KNOBS AND REEL TABLES WERE ALL EXPROSED TO IMPACT.
I turned the box over and noticed two holes had punched through the bottom of the box. Opening the box and pulling out the machine, at once I saw the TEAC faceplate was cracked, the tension arms were bent, and the reel retainers sticking out of the reel tables were both bent over like nails. The lower right knob was also pushed back into the frame and there was a crack in the plastic where it tore away.
Mad? In 2 seconds I was on Mapquest.com planning my surprise trip to his house... wondering if I would do him close with a knife or shoot him from 200 yds as he went out for the morning paper.
But I counted to 10 (3 times) made some hot bitter dark chocolate cocoa, lit some candles, put on Yanni "Dare to Dream" and gave him a call. He felt bad (stupid people can feel bad I found out). He ended up refunding most of the cost. I wanted to keep what was left for parts, so I ended up being out about $20.00 including shipping. The parts that survived are all great, including the heads.
eBay is defiantly dumbing down at a frightening pace.
I don't think the problem is with the UPS drivers so much. They seem nice enough.
